Starting a new relationship can be exciting, but confusing as well. Is she or he the right one for you? You agree on things like paying for college and the war in Iraq — but what about No Child Left Behind?
If you still can’t give your heart to the Democrats battling it out for the party’s nomination, City Paper‘s Presidential Passion Quiz may be just the thing for you. Not only will it tell you whom you really support, but it will allow you to gauge the depth of that support … so that you can start preparing for any crushing disappointments that lay in your future.
(If you’re interested in coverage of other April 22 primary contests, click the following links:
US Congressional District 18
State House District 19
State House District 21
State House District 24
State House District 27)
To take the test, answer the questions in each section below, and then score your answers by comparing them to each of the Democrats in the race, Senators Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.
SECTION I: The Issues
Values matter — even to family-hating Democrats. In the section below, select the position that best matches your philosophies on the following issues.
1. The Housing Crisis
A. Place a 90-day moratorium on foreclosures; freeze adjustable-rate mortgages for five years until homeowners can refinance loans at affordable costs.
B. Create a “universal mortgage credit” to provide an average of $500 to homeowners annually in mortgage aid. Prosecute subprime lenders who engage in mortgage fraud; create a fund to help people refinance their mortgages and provide comprehensive supports to homeowners funded partially by increased penalties on lenders who commit fraud; eliminate the provision that prevents bankruptcy courts from modifying an individual’s mortgage payments.
2. Health Care
A. Cover all Americans by making insurance mandatory and providing coverage through Medicare or by allowing individuals to keep their existing coverage. Reduce costs by stressing prevention and focusing on efficiency and modernization. Provide a tax credit to help pay for coverage. End discrimination based on pre-existing conditions
B. Coverage is not mandatory, except for children. However, health care will be made available to all Americans, who can’t be turned down for any reason. Provide tax credits for those who need help to pay for insurance. Require employers that don’t offer health care to employees to pay into the national system.
3. Immigration
A. Enhance security along borders and at ports. Increase the number of legal immigrants to keep families together and to provide workers for jobs employers cannot fill. Crack down on employers who hire undocumented immigrants. Allow undocumented immigrants who are in good standing to pay a fine, learn English, and go to the “back of the line” to become citizens.
B. Illegal immigrants should be given a path to citizenship that includes paying a fine and learning English. Deport immigrants who commit crimes, and establish sanctions for employers who hire undocumented aliens. Work with Mexico to find solutions to help it employ its own citizens.
4. The War in Iraq
A. Draw up a plan for troop withdrawal in the first 60 days of presidency; support the appointment of a high-level U.N. representative to help broker peace among the parties in Iraq. Organize a multibillion-dollar international effort to address the needs of Iraqi refugees.
B. Begin immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq, assuming the best way to get Iraqis to take responsibility for their future is to make it clear that we are leaving. Remove one or two combat brigades per month, completing the pull-out in 16 months; no building of permanent bases in Iraq. Provide at least $2 billion to expand services to Iraqi refugees in neighboring countries.
5. Foreign Policy
A. Support direct diplomacy with Iran without preconditions, and meetings with leaders of all nations, whether friend or foe. Double amount of money spent fighting global poverty; extend talks in Asia beyond bilateral agreements and beyond direct talk only with allies. Stop production of new nuclear weapons; work to decrease the U.S. and Russian stockpiles of nuclear weapons; focus military on the war in Afghanistan.
B. Work toward a Palestinian state and declaration by insisting that Palestine recognize Israel’s right to exist. Develop a comprehensive strategy focusing on education, intelligence and law enforcement to counter terrorists and their financial backers. Offer incentives to Iran to halt nuclear-weapons program, but use force if necessary. Reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals. Provide $10 billion over five years to build schools abroad.
6. Education
A. Massively reform No Child Left Behind by providing additional funding and improving the assessments used to track student progress. Provide grants to pay for educating children up to 5 years old. Fund middle-school intervention programs for students who could become dropout risks in high schools; double funding for after-school programs. Offer “Teacher Service Scholarships” to cover higher education expenses; offer $4,000 tax credits for college and a streamlined financial-aid process.
B. End No Child Left Behind outright, and double the number of children in after-school programs. Invest $100 million in public/private internships for students; create a $3,500 tax credit for parents of college students; invest $500 million in community colleges. Increase AmeriCorps scholarship to $10,000 annually; increase the maximum Pell Grant; waive student-loan debt for graduates who work in public service.
SCORING: Put 1 point in the “Clinton” column for each of the following answers:
1) A 2) A 3) B 4) A 5) B 6) B
SECTION I CLINTON TOTAL: _____
Put 1 point in the “Obama” column for each of the following answers you gave:
1) B 2) B 3) A 4) B 5)A 6) A
SECTION I OBAMA TOTAL: ____
SECTION II: The Tactics
What a person believes is only half the story. The real question is: How does she or he act? How will they treat you? On the questions below, choose the behaviors you think would be easiest to live with.
1. Which legislative action bothers you more?
A. Voting to support Dick Cheney’s energy policy
B. Voting to support Dick Cheney’s foreign policy
2. Which embellishment of the truth concerns you more?
A. Falsely claiming to have been shot at by snipers during a visit to Bosnia in 1996
B. Claiming you haven’t taken contributions from oil companies, while accepting some $213,000 from people who work for the fossil-fuels industry
3. The federal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” policy
- A. Needs to be repealed
- B. Was a good “transitional” step
4. Although all candidates originally agreed not to campaign or count delegates received in Michigan and Florida, counting the votes now:
- A. Is the only way to insure the right candidate is chosen and the voters have a chance to express their wishes
- B. Is unfair to states that played by the rules while voters in Michigan and Florida tried to hold their primaries early.
5. Which plan shows a greater commitment to advancing new fuels technology?
A. A $50 billion one-time payment.
B. $150 billion over 10 years.
6. What is more important for Americans?
A. Mandatory health insurance.
B. Mandatory retirement pensions.
7. Which is more beneficial?
A. Getting money from Richard Mellon Scaife’s ex-wife.
B. Having Richard Mellon Scaife tout your “political and personal courage.”
8. Which is more crucial to winning the presidency?
A. More delegates and more primary victories.
B. Primary wins in larger, so-called swing states.
9. Which Senate vote is more harmful?
A. Voting against energy bill that would have established an ethanol mandate for refineries.
B. Supporting an energy bill with that would double ethanol production, but also includes oil-industry incentives.
10. Paying for college can be tough, which is why the candidates offer radically different tax incentives. Which will make a drastic difference?
A. $4,000 tax incentive
B. $3,500 tax incentive
SCORING: Put 1 point in the “Clinton” column for each of the following answers:
1)B 2)A 3)B 4)A 5)A 6)A 7)B 8)B 9)A 10)B
SECTION II CLINTON TOTAL: _____
Put 1 point in the “Obama” column for each of the following answers you gave:
1)A 2)B 3)A 4)B 5)B 6)B 7)A 8)A 9)B 10)A
SECTION II OBAMA TOTAL: ____
The Supporters
Still having a hard time picking your match? Sometimes it helps to see who else has been attracted to a candidate. Answer the questions below about the company you’d prefer to keep.
1.) Who would you rather have lunch with?
A. Franco Harris
B. Dan Onorato
2.) If you wanted to book a speaker on tolerance and equality, whom would you hire?
A. Geraldine Ferarro
B. Rev. Jeremiah White
3.) Which local public official’s judgment do you trust more?
A. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl
B. City Controller Michael Lamb
4.) Which actor would you rather watch up on screen?
A. Samuel L. Jackson
B. Jack Nicholson
5.) Which politician’s private life troubles you less?
A. Former President Bill Clinton
B. Sen. Ted Kennedy
6.) My favorite Democratic gubernatorial candidate in 1994 was …
A. Bob Casey
B. Ed Rendell
7.) You want to organize your fellow employees; who are you going to call?
A. International Union of Painters and Allied Trades
B. Service Employees International Union
C. United Transportation Union
D. International Brotherhood of Teamsters
8.) You’re casting a new movie about the private lives and passions of Pittsburgh’s political leaders. Whom do you cast as Sophie Masloff?
A. Jennifer Anniston
B. Eva Longoria
C. Sally Fields
D. Gene Wilder
9.) Who plays Richard Caliguiri?
A. Ben Affleck
B. Chevy Chase
C. Will Smith
D. Paulie Shore
10.) You’re stuck on a desert island, and your iPod has music by only one major recording artist. Who would you rather listen to?
A. Barbara Streisand
B. Lionel Richie
C. Randy Newman
D. Herb Alpert
Total your scores for this section. For each of the following answers you gave, put one point in the Clinton score.
1) B 2) A 3) A 4) B 5) A 6) B 7) A or C 8) B or C 9) B or D 10) A or D
SECTION III CLINTON TOTAL: _____
Now add one point to the Obama score for each of the following answers you matched:
1) A 2) B 3) B 4) A 5) B 6) A 7) B or D 8) A or D 9) A or C 10) B or C
SECTION III OBAMA TOTAL __________
Total up your scores for Clinton and Obama from each of the three tests above.
CLINTON GRAND TOTAL: _____ OBAMA GRAND TOTAL: ______
Whoever scores the highest is your champion, obviously. But the real test is … just how deep does your political passion run?
To find out, subtract the loser’s point total from the winner’s, and consult the following chart.
20 points or more: Rabid devotee
You’ve finally found the kind of candidate you thought existed only in history books. Good for you. Unfortunately, there’s a good chance that in doing so, you’ve acquired one of those 1,000-yard stares we’re used to seeing only from Nader supporters. Plus, studies show that if your candidate loses the party nomination, you’re at an elevated risk for backing John McCain in November. It might be wise to avoid door-knocking in the weeks ahead: You may end up making things worse. But hey — those spam e-mails aren’t going to send themselves!
12-19 points: Committed partisan
You have strong convictions, but are willing to demonstrate a bit of ideological flexibility. Good for you. For one thing, it means you’re less likely to accuse your opponent of being a “whore,” or to insinuate that he only got where he is because he’s black. For another, it means that if your candidate wins in November, you’ll be prepared for the compromises that will almost inevitably be made on the very issues you’re so excited about today. Enjoy!
3-11 points: Lukewarm supporter
On the upside, you’ll probably be reasonably content about the outcome of the April 22 primary, no matter what happens. On the downside, your contentment will likely leave you unprepared for when the right-wingers come crawling out of the woodwork a couple months from now. That’s the way it’s always worked before, anyway.
Less than 2 points: Somebody get Al Gore to stop this nightmare
If you find yourself in this category, there are two possibilities. One is that all the campaigning has left you feeling ambivalent about both candidates. Then again, you may have realized that, against all odds and despite all the rhetoric, Democrats have somehow managed to get two pretty decent candidates.
This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2008.
Does America really want someone prone to hallucinations in the WH? Reviewing Hillary’s methodical playing of the “Race card”, and “The Perpetual Victim” against Obama; her inability to control her own campaign finances; and, her recent commentary on: Iraq; Pakistan; Energy Policy; her stated intention to confiscate the profits of American energy companies; the need for her to control the 14 Trillion $ American Economy from her White House Politburo, since she has declared the free-market to be a failure (this from a woman who hasn’t managed so much as a corner vegetable stand, or for that matter her own marriage; but, of course you could count Whitewater, and her tenure as “Madam” and Bimbo Containment Chief for Bill’s White House Brothel); her Marxist statement in San Francisco: “We’re going to have to take more from you, and give it to others for the common good.”; Illegal Immigration; Taxes; Infanticide; Massive new Government spending; Multi million $ Senate earmarks for supporters of Hillary’s Presidential campaign; Garnishing of your wages to fund her coveted Socialized medicine program; a fanatical advocate of confiscating all civilian handguns; and, the Clinton’s history of emasculating the military, verifies that this grievously flawed woman would be the female version of the Jimmy Carter debacle that gave us the Ayatollah Khomeini who ushered in rampant Islamic radicalism; block-long lines at our gasoline stations; a severely hollow military; and, a record Misery Index. Only much worse. Considering all of Hillary’s recent gaffes, e.g. “I voted FOR IT (referring to the Bankruptcy Bill); but, I was glad to see that it didn’t pass.”; her hallucinations over “Landing under intense sniper fire in Bosnia.”; misrepresentations on NAFTA; or, her fantasized role in the Irish Peace Process; and, her increasingly frequent crying jags, one has to wonder if excessive use of Botox has affected her mental stability. It’s no wonder that her campaign staff is shielding her from reporter and audience unscripted questions. The prospect of Madam Hillary as President; in a word: TERRIFYING. Greg Neubeck
Barack Obama is the candidate who is inspiring people with his message of unity and hope for change. Without unity, there is no hope for change – it just won’t stick. Without hope, people won’t come together to change America.
Obama has shown the most promise in being able to deliver. He managed and organized his campaign very well. He went from being the long-shot to leading in delegates, the popular vote and states won. By and large, he has taken the high road and tried to be honest with Americans in his campaign. He has done something big right, in a big way.
He also has shown he makes wise choices under pressure. He came out against the Iraq war during his campaign for Senator even though his opponent used his position against the war relentlessly against him. Only a few politicians, like Speaker of the House Pelosi, Senator Boxer, and Senator Graham and a few other Democrats like them had the foresight to see through Bush’s hype. To this day, ask a dozen people why we are in this war in Iraq and you will get a dozen different answers.
Senator Obama has a record of achievement in the Senate. After all the horrible Jack Abramoff and other Republican scandals, Senator Obama spearheaded ethics laws to reform Congress. Senator Obama also passed laws that require the government to disclose on a web site for all to see the contractors receiving our hard-earned taxpayer dollars. Senator Obama does not take money from lobbyists in this campaign. He is trying to set the standard. He knows that how our government operates and how it can be influenced will be a big factor in determining its success in working for the American people.
Hillary Clinton also is a good candidate and I respect those Democrats who are for her. I respectfully believe, however, that she has not shown her supposed managerial skills in her campaign. She was supposed to be the inevitable winner, but her campaign went broke, had to fire a bunch of people and hit below the belt and redid their message too many times. Her other big chance to show her leadership skills was her unsuccessful attempt to reform our healthcare system in the 1990s. Finally, as we all know, her most important vote of her career, on Iraq was a grave error which she would not admit for a long time. I would chalk it up to experience except that just last Fall she again voted for another Bush bill to warmonger in the Middle East – this time declaring part of Iran’s military to be terrorists, which technically was a declaration of war. I still think Hillary could be a good candidate but I don’t see the experience to support it as well as Barack has.
Most important of all, whoever you vote for in this Democratic Primary, please vote!
The Clintons are so desperate that they will stoop to nothing in lying and deceiving the voters. Hillary tells lies causally. Her husband is no different. If that is not elitist, what is? He tells 7 lies in a 15 word statement, about Hillary’s Bosnia’s trip. What do they think of the voters? Do they think the voters are fool when without thinking they underestimate the intelligence of the hardworking voters in small town America? Are they so out of touch with the conditions of the small man that they think that small town America does not feel? Bill Clinton himself recently stated that the U.S. is in a deplorable state because of high gas, war in Iraq, foreclosure, and recession. Hillary says she needs to clean up. My question is, why does Hillary needs to clean up after Bush if people are not frustrated, bitter and angry? Being bitter, angry and frustrated does not mean they are not optimistic. Small Town Americans are proud. They are optimistic. And yes they are bitter, frustrated but optimistic. One is not exclusive of the other. People are human. They feel. They suffer when they cannot feed their kids, pay their bills, keep their homes, and have a job. They are bitter, frustrated and angry when their pregnant sister dies because she has no insurance. They are bitter, frustrated and angry when presidential campaigns owe them money after they have performed a service. They are bitter, frustrated and angry when political candidates patronize them with lies about Bosnian snipers. They are bitter angry and frustrated when their child in Iraq dies, a victim of a faceless enemies.
Yes, they are bitter angry and frustrated. They have all rights to their humanity. But instead of killing, fighting or doing crime, these hard working people cling to something they are familiar with. They cling to something that will never let them down; their traditions and hometown culture. Like people every where when you are in pain you cling to something. It can be negative things like drugs and crime or it can be positive things like family, religion, faith, church, hunting, and sports. I reiterate it’s optimism and pride that make small town people cling to their hunting instead of killing. It’s optimism pride and faith that makes them cling to their religion instead of delusion. But yes they are bitter, angry and frustrated; let’s not steal their feeling, from them. Clintons get out of your, 109 million bubble and get in touch, get real. As for you McCain, you get angry; bitter and frustrated and negatively attack colleagues and family. Small Town America choose the positive alternative faith, hunting and HOPE.
I think I’m most bothered by Hillary Clinton’s assumption that she’s a winner, she’s a fighter, etc. I mean she may be a fighter, but I’m not sure she’s a very good one.
Her marriage..failed.
Her healthcare iniative..failed.
Her campaign for President, where she had all the advantages in the beginning..failed.
Her attempts at talking about the issues in any of these debates..never even started.
Any attempt to keep the democratic party cohesive during this extended primary..in serious trouble.
I mean, I’m not saying all of these things are entirely her fault, but I just don’t think she’s as ready as she claims to be to face the republicans, or do any good for our country as the president. She seems to have an uncanny knack for snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.